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- THE TRANSVAAL.1

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THE TRANSVAAL. 1 A quarterly journal published in Natal, under the 1 auspices of the Pietermantzburg Young Men's I Christian Association, says the Times, gives in its last number an article-Notes on the Transvaal—believed to be the result of careful personal observation. The :J- writer sets the actual extent of the country down at Xj 116,000 square miles but he thinks that surveysmay v show this estimate to be under the mark. He is of opinion that the country is capable of growing wheat in any quantity-of becoming what it is in name, a veritable corn-chamber; but it has bein said by many that. owing to the necessity of irriga- tion and the cost of it. only a small percentage Of the corn-growing land will be found capable of cultivation. He puts down the minerals that are commercially valuable, as gold, copper, lead, cobalt, iro*. ioa1' ,the ,?fter ex'shn? ln enormous quantities, and being almost everywhere procured with facility." He states that "the igno- rance of the people can scarcely be over-eghmattd; the present generation of Transvaal Boers has Badly degenerated." The natives are very different from the Zulus. As a race they are not so conservative, nit so warlike they are imitative, and take kindly to industrial pursuits, but are inferior to Zulus in pby- •ijrte and in Dot.le bearinp." The Natal Mercury says: V y Our Utrecht (Transvaal) correspondent, who hBS so parsistentJy complained that the L*w Courts have 'L baen a bulwark to land-iobbing and land swindling, tails us that a new order of things has been ushered in with the new rule. If the bugaan stable hs not yet been cleansed, it is in II fair way to be to. Chief Justice Kotze, young though he is, has bad the g 3od sense and the courage to signalise his assumption of office by a thorough discountenancing of previous malpractices. Weaccept our correspondent's authority t jt this last statement, and we do so the morereadily as Mr. Kotze was not anomineeof the British Govern- ment. He received bis appointment before the Re- public ceased to ba. and is identtned with the Cape Dutch section of the population, rather than with any newer imported element. That he has shown a wise discretion and a sound judgment in setting his face re- solutely against any corrupt or even equivocal ten- dt-neiesin the judicial administration of the territory cannotbe doubted. It is the pride and glory of the British jadiciary that it is above suspicion. It is of peculiar importance that in matters of land title, the credit of the Government and the claims of justice should be maintained. Large areas of Transvaal land are already changin? hands in England and else- where and should it be found by the buyers that they have bought properties which are no properties, fatal and lasting injury will be done to the material interests of the country. As it is, we greatly fear that many innocent investors and purchasers in England are imagining themselves the possessors of farms which will turn out very questionable bargains. No part of the local administration will entail greater trouble, or necessitate closer scrutiny, than that which concern the survey of and titles to land. The reckless way in which farms have been sold or granted during the last 15 or 20 years does not find a parallel even during the early days of NataL It is positively stated that the new Govern- ment finds no land left for its disposal, so that in the matter of real estate it is worse off even than Natal. On the other hand, we conceive it to be quite pos- sible that, with vigorously applied legislation, many of these farms may revert to Government by reason of there being no recognisable owners of them." The Natal Mercury says also: "Oar correspondent hears that at the recent conference the Zulu chiefs claimed for Oety- wayo, as the boundary of his territory, the line of the Drakensberg and the Bdffalo, which would not only include the disputed territory-now occupied by Boer farmers—but all Utrecht and a part of Wak- kerstroom, districts that have been for over twenty years in the undisturbed possession of the Transvaal Government. If this story be true, the pretensions of the Znla King have ridiculously expanded of late, and we have no doubt that Sir T. Bhepstone's reply Was becomingly emphatic and summary. No man in South Africa knows better how to rebuke the I noble savage' than does his Excellency and the successor of Chaka' is not likely to brook any undue assump- tions on the part of the ambitious King-no longer young now—whom he first recognittd' and then crowned." "A correspondent in Zulu- land, under date October 26th, sends us an interesting communication, the purport of which is to show that there is no reason for apprehension regarding the attitude ef the Zulus. The retirement of the mis- sionaries, about the middle of this year, was the result of a groundless scare. Most of them have since re- turned to their stations. The Zulus, he says, will not make war unless a European force first crosses their bjundary."

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PARIS FASHIONS.

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ADDRESS OF THE EASTERN QUESTION…

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